Hope's Twilight
by FullMoonEclipse
Summary: This is the tragic tale of Class 80 in the last days of Hope's Peak Academy. OC-centric, character death in different bloody ways, Shounen-ai and Shoujou-ai pairings. Takes place between the riots of the reserve classes and the events of the first game. Rated T to be safe. Reviews very much accepted!
1. Chapter 1

Hope's Peak Academy. Any student selected to attend is guaranteed success in their specific field of expertise after graduating. The school became a beacon of hope for the world to see, as it only chose and turned out the best of the best into the world. However, as funding grew more and more limited, the school was forced to limit acceptance of students and kept only those who were the most remarkable in their field, while shoving the unremarkables into the reserve classes.

Then it happened. The killing game that claimed the lives of the student council and sent the reserve classes berserk when they learned that every hard-earned cent was going towards the senseless murder of students. Soon, the madness spread outside the school walls and, slowly, to every part of the world. Hope's Peak exiled these students and put the entire school on lockdown, keeping the remaining students inside.

This is the story of Class 80 in the last days of Hope's Peak Academy before the incident of Class 78.

This is the tale of Hope's Twilight.

The gardens were always quiet this time of day. The sun was still shining, warm as ever, the wind gently ruffled the grass and the leaves in the trees, and the vibrant colours of the flowers that were carefully nurtured by the school beautification commitee were as much a joy to see as they always had been. Chisato Ueda, Super High School Level Botanist, regarded them happily, despite her worries. Following the riots that had broken out only weeks earlier and the violence that was spreading to the outside world, she had been up late at night with her mind absolutely racked with anxiety and she hadn't slept well in days. It had been getting her in trouble with her teachers and the Super High School Level Hall Monitor, Kiyotaka Ishimaru, much like earlier. His shouting had scared her, and now she was here, finding her solace among the flowers. Plants were easier to understand; not only because it was her field of expertise, but because plants were quiet and were simple in how they worked, not like people who were noisy and complicated. It made her happy to be tending to them or to just be alone with them.

"It's too nice a day for you to be out here by yourself, Chisato-chan."

Chisato gasped and looked behind her to find a white-haired boy standing behind her, but she calmed down soon enough. "Don't scare me like that, Nagito-kun," she sighed.

Nagito Komaeda, Super High School Level Good Luck, chuckled warmly and smiled. "Sorry. I was just wondering why you were out here and not in class."

"Ishimaru scared me again." Chisato started to fiddle with the hem of her blazer. "He's always too loud. I haven't been sleeping well, so I've been more skittish than usual."

"That's understandable," Said Komaeda as he sat down beside his girlfriend and took her hand. It was a small contact and just enough for Chisato to stand so far. "I wouldn't blame you, given the circumstances."

"I just wish we could be told what was going on out there," Chisato huffed. "The riots were contained, but now it's spreading. I'm so worried about Grandpa, his health's bad enough as it is...!" She was starting to choke up as her eyes filled with tears. "I feel so useless just sitting here! What if he dies with no one at his side?! What if I can't help anyone?!" She burst into tears and gripped Komaeda's hand. Komaeda just sighed, smiling as he took his hand away, then moved behind Chisato just enough that he could put his arms around her shoulders and hold her close.  
"You've got so much weight on your little shoulders, Chisato-chan," He said softly. "You're so busy worrying."  
"I can't help it...!" Chisato cried. "I just don't want anyone else to die, but I don 't know if anything I can do would be useful to anyone...!"  
Komaeda pressed a gentle kiss to the back of Chisato's head. "You have such a big heart. You say you don't understand people and yet here you are, worrying about everyone like that...it's one of the things I love the most about you." Komaeda kept talking to her, telling her how wonderful and kind and smart she was until she eventually calmed down, and Chisato just let him hold her like this. She could tolerate contact of this kind at the moment. "I love you so much, Chisato-chan," Komaeda told her.

And suddenly she felt a sharp pain and her mouth and throat filled with blood. Her throat had been cut! She clamped a hand over the wound as she writhed on the ground in pain. She looked up at Komaeda, and in her last moments she could see the crazed look in his eyes and the glint of the knife in his hands, hear his manic laughter that reverberated in her ears. She only managed to choke out the first three syllables of Komaeda's name before the world went dark.

Hikari Nanase hated sneaking around, but on this day, the Super-High-School-Level Conservationist had no other choice if she wanted to avoid the Hall Monitors. Her friend hadn't turned up to class, and Chisato never skipped classes. Next to Yukari Shimizu, Super High School Level Philosopher, she was the model student of Class 80, so Chisato skipping class was automatically suspicious, and their worried teacher, Miss Nago, had asked Hikari to go find her, however, she hadn't found anything yet, and she was starting to panic. She'd searched the halls, the empty science rooms, the dormitories, the library, the bathrooms and the dining hall, but still nothing. What if she'd been taken on her way to class, Hikari thought anxiously. Students had been disappearing as of late, never to be heard from again or turning up dead days later, and Hikari dreaded the thought of one of her best friends ending up that way.

Eventually, Hikari came to the school gardens, where she saw someone lying on the grass. She stepped out and walked closer to it. At first, she felt relief. It was Chisato, obviously, judging by her characteristic coke-bottle glasses sitting on top of her backpack. She must have just had a nap at recess and slept in a bit, that's all.  
"Chisato-chan, you know you're not allowed to be out here during class," Hikari chided playfully as she walked closer. "What, was Kiyotaka giving you trouble-" She was cut off mid-sentence when she saw the blood and the horrifying look on Chisato's face, and once she saw the gaping wound in her throat, Hikari screamed. Windows opened and students stuck their heads out to see what was happening while others flooded the halls. First to her side was the Super High School Level Detective, Kyouko Kirigiri, who looked down at Chisato's lifeless corpse with concern before kneeling and closing her eyes. Hikari had burst into tears by now, and Kyouko stood to console her, putting an arm around her shoulder, before telling a teacher to bring a tarp from the bio lab and another student, a hall monitor, to take Hikari away to her room while she began her work. Hikari was still insonsolable as she was led away by the hall monitor, and as much as she hated being carted around like this and as much as she hated the new (but hastily thrown-together) student council's lackeys, her thoughts were on what she'd seen. Why would anyone want to kill Chisato? She didn't have a bad bone in her body! No one really hated her at all, not to the point where they would want to kill her at least! It just didn't make sense. They passed Naoto Sohma, Super High School Level Biologist and Hikari and Chisato's friend, on the way and he stopped the hall monitor for a moment.  
"Hikari-kun, what's the matter?" He asked. "What happened?!"  
"It's Chisato-chan...!" Wailed Hikari. "She's...she's...!" Hikari burst into tears again and Naoto took her from the hall monitor, insisting that he'd get Hikari back to her dorm room, and the two held each other as Naoto soon joined in Hikari's grief and the two mourned the loss of their beloved friend and colleague.

Mika Morikawa dabbed at her eyes gently with her handkerchief, trying to be careful as she dried her tears away. The Super High School Level Mortician had been trying to keep herself together since the announcement that Chisato had been killed. She had known Chisato well- the two had been in almost every single class together, and the two had an appreciation for classical music. To know that her innocent and determined soul was no longer in this world weighed heavily on Mika's shoulders, so did the knowledge that she would be asked to dress the corpse for a funeral. She had started picking out the different textiles she was going to use to dress the body from some bolts of cloth in the textile room when she was joined by her beloved, Tsuneo Kurenai; Super High School Level Samurai. He silently placed his hand on her shoulder and Mika eased into his touch so easily.  
"I never imagined I'd be doing this for one of our dear friends, Kurenai-kun," She sighed sadly. "Dear Chisato-chan...so full of potential. Nanase-san and Sohma-san must be devastated."  
"Kyouko Kirigiri is questioning her at the moment," Tsuneo informed her. "She suspects the culprit is still in the school."  
"I hope she catches him," Said Mika. "Chisato would want him caught." She lifted a bolt of cloth off the rack and walked over to one of the tables to measure it out, then took out her handkerchief again and dabbed lightly at her eyes. "Is there any talk of a suspect?"  
"Not yet."  
"What do you suppose, then?" She asked him.  
Tsuneo crossed his arms. "I would suspect those closest to her. In particular, Komaeda Nagito."  
"Her boyfriend?"  
"It seems most likely," Said a new voice. The two turned to see the Super High School Level Detective standing behind them. "He hasn't been seen since the murder."  
"Isn't there anything Chisato's body could tell you, Kirigiri-dono?" Mika asked her.  
"Apart from the fact that she knew her attacker, not that much," Sighed Kyouko. "I've interviewed Nanase and Sohma. I just need to speak to you, Morikawa-san, and then I'm going to find Komaeda."  
Mika took a seat and neatly folded her hands in her lap. "If there's anything you want to know, I'm an open book." Tsuneo stood at her side as Kyouko sat down across from them and asked Mika questions.

Between herself and the Super High School Level Chess Player, Ayano Ayanokoji, she and Mika knew everything about everyone in Class 80. Kyouko would have no problem extracting information from her, especially in such desperate times and especially when her eyes and ears stood right next to her and her best friend was among the most affluent of Hope's Peak student population. Kyouko quickly had all she needed, but before she left, she asked one more question: "How was Chisato's relationship with Nagito Komaeda?"  
"He's never mistreated her once," Mika explained. "Though I have heard she caught Junko Enoshima flirting with him not that long ago, but she didn't seem to let it get to her. Strange, isn't it?"  
Kyouko gave a thoughtful 'hm' before she bid her goodbyes and left the room, leaving Mika to her work.

The funeral came with the news that Chisato's grandfather had died, and it was impossible to bury them together. The students all gathered in the gymnasium, dressed in their uniforms and all of Class 80 wearing black bands around their arms. Chisato was laid in a coffin just in front of the stage, the lid to one side, and her classmates came up one by one and laid flowers at the foot of it. Hikari and Naoto couldn't stop each other's tears as Yukari Shimizu gave a speech on behalf of Class 80 as a goodbye to Chisato, thanking her for offering her silent understanding to her classmates and her great heart that ached for so many, and the Principal, Jin Kirigiri bade his farewells to Chisato and thanked her for her talents that brought the gifts of nature to the world. During the service, some among Class 80, 79 and 78 sneered and whispered as Nagito Komaeda stumbled to the front and fell to his knees at Chisato's coffin, tears streaming down the boy's face.  
Tsubasa Yamano, Super High School Actor, turned to his cousin, Shiori Ikeda, Super High School Level Soprano, with a scowl on his face. "Has he no shame?" He scoffed. "I'll bet he murdered Chisato."  
"Only a psychopath would attend his victim's funeral," Shiori remarked coldly. "I warned Ueda. I told her he was out of his mind." She crossed her arms. "Not her fault, though; that boy was never capable of thinking for himself in the first place. Komaeda didn't deserve someone like Chisato, she was too good for him. If you ask me, if anyone deserves to die, it would definitely be him."  
Some distance away, Ayano Ayanokoji was watching the scene and surveying it carefully, strategies already forming in her mind. The chess player had, in some sense, seen this coming. The person responsible for the riots in the reserve classes that spread outside the school was more than likely behind this and had pulled Komaeda's strings to make him kill Chisato, though how and why she hadn't manage to ascertain just yet. Repressing a smirk, she quietly surveyed the crowd, worked out the pieces on the board, and formed her strategies. There was a reason the Ayanokoji family rivalled the Kuzuryu, after all- and she planned to come out on top, no matter what it took to do so.

The remaining students of the reserve classes were gathered in one classroom as Ayano surveyed them. These students were the few who chose not to be completely stupid when the riots started and had put themselves in her employ for the sake of still feeling like they have a purpose. Pawns, Ayano concluded, were so laughably desperate for meaning and purpose. It was like it was all these simple, talentless morons wanted, but her quarry was taking this to extremes that even she wouldn't even dare to even touch upon. Most likely, she was sentencing these kids to death by sending them out with the promise of becoming a part of her growing yakuza family and finding some use for themselves, but it had to be done for the good of the school and for the sake of stopping the senseless violence brought upon the world by Ultimate Despair.  
"Welcome, my friends," She said sweetly. "I do hope that you aren't being incovenienced by any of this, but this is an urgent matter, after all." The reserve class students looked to each other nervously. "As you are all well aware, many of Hope's Peak's students have been murdered recently by your classmates. I understand you all wanted nothing to do with it, but I am presenting you all with a chance to get to the bottom of it. I plan to find the person behind it and I would very much love to have you all listed with me in the history books when we stop this atrocity- but there is a catch: you all have to join the Ayanokoji family and swear loyalty to me."  
"What if we don't want to?!" Snapped a student.  
Ayano just shrugged. "Then you're free to just leave. I won't stop you and I'm not forcing you to be here, after all." The student went quiet and Ayano gave them their assignment; pursue the following students: Nagito Komaeda, Teruteru Hanamura, Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Peko Pekoyama, Hiyoko Saijoni, Nekomaru Nidai, Mahiru Koizumi, Kazuichi Souda, Gundam Tanaka, Princess Sonia Nevermind, Ibuki Mioda, Tsumiki Mikan, Akane Owari, Mukuro Ikusaba, Junko Enoshima and Byakuya Togami. She sent them out with orders to report on these persons of interest, then walked off to find Jirou Abe, Super High School Level Confectioner. She had a bridge to build if she was going to get anywhere.

With luck, she found Jirou in the home economics classrooms and closed the door behind her. "Got a minute, Jirou-chan?" She asked flirtaciously.  
Jirou sighed as he set down the spoon he had preciously been mixing with. "Stop calling me that," He told her sternly. "I'm not your dog."  
"I have a proposal for you," Ayano continued, sauntering over like a cat. "A proposal that could very well guarantee our survival."  
"From an Ayanokoji?" Jirou scoffed. "Not likely."  
"Look, Jirou-kun," Ayano sighed, dropping her flirtacious tone. "I know what happened between our families was ugly, but I wasn't even in charge of that at the time. I need your help to bring down Ultimate Despair."  
Jirou quirked an eyebrow. Ayano Ayanokoji asking for his help after her father had so ruthlessly commanded the death of his parents?! She was lucky that he hadn't taken her life, but since he was in a good mood today and she'd stopped calling him Jirou-chan for once... "I'm listening," He replied eventually. "But this had better be worth my time."  
Ayano gave a cat-like grin in response and chuckled lowly. "Excellent."


	2. Chapter 2

It had been some weeks since then, and with no reply from her agents outside the walls of the school, Ayano Ayanokoji was starting to get annoyed. Her agents inside the school had been reporting in, but they had been picked off one by one, either by the ones they were pursuing or by one among them who knew something she did not know, but she had been quite safe since her agreement with Jirou. He had been useful with his remarkable marksmanship skills, maintaining his end of the bargain by taking out any potential attackers. So far he had picked off most of Ayano's enemies, as well as those who sought to kill any remaining agents of hers. As she walked through the school halls towards her dorm rooms, happily uninterrupted by Ishimaru, the hall monitor (poor fool, he still didn't know that even his best friend and his whole gang were wound tight around her pretty little finger thanks to some debts his brother had run up) or the pompous Byakuya Togami (she'd have him under her thumb yet- even the Togami conglomerate would fall beneath her penultimate rule someday despite all their talk of victory in any situation) or that mousy wretch, Touko Fukawa (whom she'd already made a mental note to dispose of or employ at one point or another), Ayano grew restless. How much longer was she going to be kept waiting?! She supposed it was time Jirou took on a few more patrols, since he really had nothing else to do. A dull thud alerted her to his presence as she smiled down at the dead body and crushed the bear-shaped head under her foot. "Good boy." She straightened her uniform a bit. "There's talk of another student hidden inside the school that Enoshima has recruited. Knight takes Pawn; you know what to do."

Yukari Shimizu rubbed her temples as she stared down at the words on the page of her copy of Plato's "Phaedrus". The allegory of the rowdy black horse and its spirited, but obedient white companion was starting to become all too relevant in the case of Hope's Peak's current situation, and much like the winged charioteer that controlls them, the principal was suffering for every time he couldn't stop the sickness of despair from spreading. She was meant to meet with the newly-formed student council soon to make a speech, and she was growing anxious. She'd been pouring over her books for hours on end trying to think of something to say. As the Ultimate Philosopher, she was supposed to be the one who was creating hope by explaining how people think and helping them better understand themselves. But what use was philosophy in a time like this, she asked herself. The world had been turned upside down and no matter how many times she'd tried to make sense of it all, she'd just come up with a solution that was completely worthless in the long run. It felt like the world was coming down around her ears and there was no way she could pick up the pieces without hurting herself in the process, and yet it still felt that she was carrying this broken world on her shoulders at the time. It didn't help that her entire class was still trying to cope with the loss of the dearly departed Chisato Ueda as well. She was such a kind and generous soul, and if her beliefs were correct, then she was assured a happy afterlife where she would be free of her pain and worries and sensitive ears.

Suddenly, she had an idea. What was it Chisato had once quoted? "We have much to hope for from the flowers" or something?

"Of course!"

"'Of course' what?"

Yukari nearly jumped. She'd almost forgotten that she had company at the time. "Sorry, Suzume-kun," She sighed. "I thought you'd left already."

Suzume Amano, Super High School Level Taiko Drummer and Yukari's girlfriend, walked over and put her arms around Yukari's shoulders. "Don't worry about it, Yuka-chan," She told the shorter woman. "You've got too much on that big mind for me to go around interruptin' ya."  
"I told you not to call me that," Yukari sighed.  
"Oh, who cares? It's your room and we're alone." Suzume kissed the back of her girlfriend's head. "C'mon, level with me. What's tickin' in that noggin of yours?"

"Do you remember that line that Ueda-san always liked?"

"The Sherlock Holmes one?" Suzume asked. Yukari nodded. "Yeah, somethin' about hope and flowers, I remember. What about it, though?"

Yukari smiled, inspiration lighting up her eyes. "I was just thinking, what if humans are like the bees that pollinate them, and by that way of pollination, we are spreading hope to the rest of the world because it is our purpose to do so?"

Suzume turned the concept over a few times in her head, then returned the smile. "Well, shit! Looks like you're right!" She hugged Yukari tightly. "Ah, I love that head of yours, Yuka-chan! See? I told you you'd think of something!" She let go and ruffled Yukari's hair. "Now get to work, braniac! That speech ain't gonna write itself!"

Yukari nodded and got to work, and Suzume just smiled proudly as she watched. Yukari had been hit pretty hard by Chisato's death and hadn't taken it well. To see her finally back in her element was both refreshing and inspiring after seeing her out of it for so long. Yukari's new position on the student council had made her more stressed than usual and they had argued more often than perhaps they should have, but what couple doesn't fight from time to time? Even Kurenai and Morikawa had their fights and Ikeda and her boyfriend, Yuko Sakaki, Super High School Level Poet, had their artistic differences that would bring them to verbal blows. Heck, even Yamano and Sohma weren't perfect. At least they all had something in common; they had all stayed together during the turbulent years that came with high school and, more importantly, during the troubled times the world lived in now, and Suzume was still surprised that she and Yukari were still together. Yukari's parents hadn't been very accepting of their relationship while Suzume's uncle and aunt were more than happy that their niece had found someone and offered to talk it out with Yukari's parents, but even then their bond had grown stronger.

However, as happy as it made her to remember that they had lasted this long, Suzume only had one thing that worried her about it all...

What was going to happen to them now that the world was the way it was?

Naoto took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I thought this would be under control by now..."

"What would be?"

Naoto turned to see Tsubasa walking into the bio lab, smiling. Oh, god, was he ever happy to see that smile. "Tsubasa-kun."

Tsubasa nodded his greeting. "How's Nanase-kun?"

Naoto sighed. "Not good, I'm afraid," He replied. "She's been crying again and I haven't been able to talk to her. Suzuhara-san said he'd try to get through to her, and you know what he's like."

Tsubasa nodded again. Eiji Suzuhara, Super High School Level Basketball Player, was a man of his word. Heaven knows the kind of secrets that boy was keeping; it was no wonder he'd earned the nickname 'Super High School Level Reliable'. "I'm sure Eiji will have no problem bringing Hikari back to her cheery old self again," He told Naoto as he walked over to him. "But how are you? You've been avoiding me for a while."

"A-avoiding?" Naoto held up his palms. "No, no. It's not like that. Between Nanase-kun and my research and what happened to Chisato, I've just needed some time on my own to sort out my head. Besides, you have your own problems, I'm sure. I didn't want to worry you."

"Naoto-kun, you know you can talk to me about this stuff." Tsubasa took the younger boy's hands in his."I'm always listening."

"Well, all I'm saying is, you'd think all these riots would have been controlled by now," Said Naoto. "There's talk that the school might be closed, but where would we go? Most of us don't even know if our families are still alive, others have no family at all."

Tsubasa hummed thoughtfully. "That's a good point," The Actor sighed. "Shiori and I are still waiting on word from our family. I'm sure they'll be fine, but Shiori worries."

"Ikeda-dono may act cold, but she really does have a heart of gold. Oh, I just rhymed!" Naoto started chuckling to himself and Tsubasa couldn't help but join in. Any time his Naoto laughed, the sun shone just that little bit brighter for him.  
"Perhaps you would have a place in the performing arts, Sohma-kun," Tsubasa said warmly. "Sasaki-san could give you lessons!"

"Oh, I couldn't...!" Naoto laughed, holding up his palms. "The stage isn't for me. But in some ways, I conduct my own little performances here in the labs, and my speciments and subjects are my actors." He stepped aside and gestured to a microscope that was set up on the desk. "Here, come take a look." Tsubasa decided to humour him and came and had a look at what was under the lens. He looked into the eyepiece and saw some squiggly shapes that were moving about.

"What's this?" He asked, watching the shapes dance about.

"Those are microbes," Naoto replied. "I called them 'hope cells', after the school. I've been trying to make a psychoactive drug that's an alternative to antidepressants." He adjusted his glasses a bit. "I've been thinking that something must have been polluting the water outside and causing people to go crazy. If I can get this right, we can start treating the despair-infected individuals with this and a bit of rehabilitation. If I can strengthen it and the water treatment plants can come back on, I can release it into the waters of the world and slowly start bringing people back to their senses."

Tsubasa looked over at Naoto, at his determined face and confident smile. "That's quite the ambition," He remarked. "Will Nanase-san be assisting you?"  
"She was, same as Chisato, up until her death," Sighed Naoto. "But I'm confident that she'll come around eventually. Hikari's like the engine that kept Chisato and I going. It's hard to stay focused knowing one of my dearest friends is gone, but she would have wanted us to keep going with our research. We made a promise to change the world someday, after all."

"Oh?"

Naoto stood straight as a soldier and put his fist over his heart, grinning. "'To make the world a better place for all, no matter how big or how small!' That's the motto of the Planet Earth club!"

The heads of three of Ayano's agents were jammed into her locker when she opened it. Shocked as she was, Ayano made no effort to emote, and instead gave an irritated click of her tongue as she simply left the heads there and walked off, leaving the door open. They'd fall out soon enough and she took the lock so people would think that she just forgot to close her locker properly. It wasn't the first time. What a pain. Lord knows their tongues could have been useful to her before they wound up as a grissly mess in her locker, but at least they died with some purpose to their dull, meaningless lives. She'd find more little puppets to play with, new pieces to put on the board. It wasn't hard. An Ayanokoji is born with a silver tongue, after all- she could make people die for her if she wanted to, so roping in more reserve students wouldn't be hard. It wasn't the first time, however; she'd already had corpses showing up here and there and with Morikawa refusing to dress anymore bodies, she did feel a little annoyed that the Mortician, carted around by her dumb "samurai" boyfriend, wasn't even bothering with her talent. Perhaps, Ayano thought, she could be of use to her. It's not like she was doing anything better with herself these days.

"Oy, Ayanokoji!"

Ayano grinned. She knew that voice all too well. She took a gun from a holster hidden insode her jacket and turned to face Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu, Super High School Level Yakuza, and his lapdog, Peko Pekoyama, Super High School Level Swordswoman. "Come to kill me, have you?" She asked nonchalantly. "Or are you here to waste my time?"

"I've come to make a business proposal," Kuzuryu said slowly. "You're aware of the Ultimate Despair movement?"

"If you mean that ridiculous little riot that happened because the reserve students couldn't accept their place as worthless little pawns, then yes."

"I've come to recruit you." Kuzuryu gave a sick grin. "Our leader wants you to join us. You can make people do anything you tell them and your strategies are useful enough. If you say no, I'm going to have to kill you."

Ayano raised her gun. "Not if I kill you first. You know I always kill the middle-man." She cocked her head and chuckled a bit. "It's laughable but quite expected that you'd wind up as someone's lackey. Though I'd much prefer it if the two of you wound up working for me instead of some hack who thinks they can end the world like this."

"The world was already fucked," Kuzuryu spat. "Why not end it all?!"

Ayano saw Pekoyama drawing her sword and began weighing up odds against possibilities in her mind. Unless Jirou decided to show up any time soon, this wasn't going to end well. "Look, I know the Kuzuryu family are famous for their temper, but even you wouldn't be dumb enough to buy into this 'Despair' nonsense," Ayano reasoned. "As the two most powerful yakuza families in the countries, we should be taking advantage of this civil collapse. This is far too extreme; neither of us would enforce these ridiculous methods on our own people, so why not bring a little order to the chaos? Helping to contain the riots could definitely give us an advantage for future endeavours- it's just good business."

Fuyuhiko just laughed. "That's hilarious! An Ayanokoji and a Kuzuryu working together!"

"I assure you, I'm not kidding."

"Bullshit!"

As if on some silent command, Peko had her sword and had charged at Ayano. The younger of the two fired her shots at Peko's feet to try and slow her or trip her up, but it was easily dodged. Ayano managed to dodge Peko's sword that first time, and fired more bullets at her, but no matter where she aimed, nothing hit home. A second dodge, but this time, she aimed past Peko and fired at Fuyuhiko, and the bullet hit him in the shoulder. Not enough to make him bleed out and die, but just somewhere that would cause a lot of pain if he tried to move. Her ploy worked, and Peko immediately ran back to check that Fuyuhiko was okay.

"Bo-chan!"

"What the fuck are you doing?!" He spat at her. "Kill Ayanokoji!"

Peko never had a chance to get her sword back, since Ayano had kicked it out of her reach and resorted to hand-to-hand combat to distract her, and for a minute, it looked like Ayano had the upper hand, since Peko was not as skilled as she, and for a rather short woman, Ayano could pack a real punch if she had to smack someone up for whatever reason. She managed to get Peko on her knees with one of her hands around the older girl's throat and the barrel of her gun to her head. She saw the little red light dancing on Peko's forehead, and began to laugh. "You thought this was 'checkmate'?! I am Ayano Ayanokoji- _I NEVER LOSE!_" Her grip tightened, and Peko was starting to choke. Fuyuhiko tried to beg for her life, but Ayano backhanded him in the face with the butt of her gun. Jirou would fire, Peko would be dead, and she would end Fuyuhiko's life and rid the world of the Kuzuryu family, and a member of Ultimate Despair, but she never expected what happened next.

_BANG!_


End file.
